Hip Hop fans and natives to Queens New York know who the legendary Pappy Mason is. He isn’t Italian, he isn’t Cuban and he’s not a creature of myth. While his reality these days is that of a poop slinging, 24hr lockdown lunatic serving a life sentence with no possibility of parole, Pappy Mason was one of the most dangerous gangsters to have ever held the streets of New York.

The legend that is Pappy Mason is that of an enforcer and muscle who studied the doctrines (a whole lot of Scarface and The Godfather reruns), hated cops with a passion and never broke omerta. He was a crime boss’s wet dream because of his loyalty and he served his boss Lorenzo “Fat Cat” Nichols with Samurai loyalty. Pappy Mason was successful for one single solitary reason, he was respected out of fear. His volatile nature and bull-like aggression made it easy for him to commit murder when he deemed it necessary and this included the very police officers that he hated.

Pappy was said to have shot druggies if they made any remarks about his bosses product. He was the Al Capone to Fat Cat’s Johnny Torrio, the Sammy Gravano to Cat’s Gotti – well before Gravano betrayed him, you get what I am saying, he was the Black Hand bodyguard to a crack king. Due to Pappy’s ruthlessness Lorenzo “Fat Cat” Nichols had a life of luxury, endless riches and invincibility. Looking at the Cat wrong would get you killed by Pappy and for this his boss rewarded him with his own corner. This led to Pappy forming his own sub-gang known as the Bebos.

The Beginning

Howard “Pappy” Mason was a country boy born in Alabama and moved to Brooklyn, Crown Heights as a child. As a teen he couldn’t stay out of Juvenile Detention Centers like Warwick and Spofford as he would assault his rivals, cuss out cops and stay in fights. One of his stunts was an attempted murder charge which landed him a 5 year stint in Spofford where he met another scrapper who would be his future boss: Lorenzo “Fat Cat” Nichols. The two became tight and when Lorenzo got out he helped Pappy land on his feet when he was released some years later and relocated to Queens. When Pappy was sprung free and found Lorenzo, his friend was a big-time drug dealer on the street and he immediately hired Pappy as his enforcer.

“Pappy was the dude crazy dudes would think twice about trying. With his no-nonsense attitude he was vicious. And don’t get if fucked up, Pappy was fiercely loyal to Cat.” – GorillaConvict.com

Whenever you would hear Pappy’s name it would have the word crazy in the sentence. He was a murdering bulldog with no love for authority, rivals or anyone that crossed his path. When he formed the Bebos and became a boss himself, they idolized their leader who had taken to becoming a born-again Jamaican – sporting long dreads, speaking patois and practicing Rastafarianism. This army of dreads would swarm on their victims leaving them slain execution style or brutalized as to not have any repeat offenders. People feared the Bebos as crazed killers and Pappy reined them in like a warlord.

The End

Ultimately Pappy Mason’s downfall came from his hate of cops. Unlike gangsters with a high self-worth and preservation, Pappy saw red when it came to the police and he was fingered by a rat for having set-up and executed a police officer with the help of his Bebos. This conviction got him up on murder charges and facing life imprisonment but the fear of retaliation caused the rat to clam up and stop talking. For this the prosecution had to use a taped recording of the confession and it made for a hung jury instead. Free and bitter, Pappy took to the streets to resume business when some time later a popular cop in the neighborhood got on his case for drinking a beer outside of a paper bag.

“Do you know who I am? Fuck You!”

Pappy would not have a cop talk down to a grand wolf like himself so he allegedly put a hit out on the officer, leading to a mistake in identity and an innocent rookie being shot several times in the head. The bottom fell out fast for Pap following this as he was quickly fingered for being the organizer and all of his so-called friends began to sing for lighter sentences. One of these friends was allegedly the man he loved more than anybody else, his boss Lorenzo “Fat Cat” Nichols. The testimonies caught up to Pappy and he was given a life sentence.

The name Pappy Mason lives on in the streets and the sound that is Hip Hop today, rappers Nas, 50-Cent, Jay-Z and other former hustlers turned rappers have mentioned him in their street ballads. Sure he was a murderous lunatic to those on the outside but he is more respected for keeping the code of the streets and staying loyal to the end. It’s said that he is now one of the biggest problem inmates in his prison and having to be kept on lockdown 24/7. Men that have spent time with him describe him as having gone full on bugsy (crazed). Every gangland legend seems to have the same end to their story and Mason is no different, still as an example of a badass gangster you get no better than Pappy Mason.

About Greg Dragon

Greg Dragon is the founder, publisher and editor-in-chief here at the Hall of The Black Dragon Magazine. You can follow Greg on Twitter @HobDragon or on his Google+ account. Greg Dragon is an independent author that writes a variety of novels. You can view his author page on GregDragon.com.

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They are force fed psych drugs, slipped into their food. Pappy has said that this was done to him, he has said this in open Federal Court, yet they ignore his complaints. You know what he’s locked up for and how violent (allegedly) he can become. Did you expect any “good” treatment from the police?

And, Pappy has said that Cat did not tell on him.

Debra

I remember this story from when I lived in ny. Arjune, I believe, only testified against two people who firebombed his home. John Q. would have no inside info on major drug dealers. He had no meaningful info to provide. The drug dealer was acquitted. No name or picture of this person was ever in the paper.
The police department would never put a rookie on a detail guarding a witness in a drug trial. He would be put in protective custody. And why would a witness supposedly testifying against drug dealer feel comfortable in his home with only two cops (one a rookie) guarding his home?
This cop killing has to go down in history as the dumbest contract in history. Anyone who would order the killing of a cop in their own territory is a FOOL not a gangster! An even bigger fool would be anyone who would take such a contract.
This was a brilliantly orchestrated takeover of a drug organization run by a couple of violent idiot thugs. Once the heat from the cop killing died down the dealer who was acquitted probably took over this now wide-open territory.
Anyone who would shoot their customers for complaining about quality of their product would be in business very long. Can’t keep customers if you shoot them. Why not try more professional approach? Like say a higher quality product. Oh, I forgot, a fool would never grasp that concept. (Btw, years ago I bought some dope in that area and it WAS crap)
You people who idolize the two idiots are just as stupid as they are. I save my kudos for whoever took over their territority.

Debra

Correction: anyone who would shoot their customers for complaining about quality WON’T be in business very long. If customers are complaining about the quality of your product you must be selling garbage.
Let’s see:
1. Poorly-run organization
2. Violent idiot thugs for leaders
3. The dumb asses shoot cop in own territory
4. Garbage dope
=TAKEOVER !!!!

Renee

Fat Cat would not rat on Pappy….I lived over there, played pool over there. Cat would have never rated on Pappy.

DJ Hey

My Years in Law enforcement brings me to the conclusion that 99 percent of African American gangsters snitch and rat like no other race!

Fuch the police

A cop with a racist attitude towards African Americans how original.

Debra

The Fat Cat Nicols/Pappy Mason “drug organization was an elaborate takeover. This organization was poorly run violent idiot thugs and crumbling under the weight of stupidity. This is a perfect example of why the jails are full of blak men. Black men need to stay out of the crime business. Their just not very good at it. Another dumb idea of their’s: selling dope outside on the corner! What brilliant mind came up with that one? Black men who go back and forth to jail for that type of crime are afflicted with the worse personality disorder known to man–DAPD — Dumb Ass Personality Disorder! This disorder is contagious and there is no cure. I sold drug drugs a long time ago. I sold to mostly to working whites and sold discreetly out of my home. I’ve never been to jail and never had any problems with police or anyone else. Since I was not causing any problems in the neighborhood they that they would leave me alone. With the help of associates and alliances we ran street dealers out of the complex where we lived and shut down on open-air drug market a cross the street. Discrete criminals don’t want these lowlifes in their neighboorhood . They bring too many problems with them, bring heat down on the neighboorhood and make it hard for decent discrete criminals to do business. These scumbags should all be sentenced to a determinant sentence of 21 years. 1 year for selling macadamia nuts and 20 years for being a dangerous and destructive nuicense to their community!

Da real tantrum

Dj hey suck my dick pussy the mob been got that title think about how many go down each time its a bust

suirvale

dikpusy such brilian education,.hope u watch Battabox on yu tube,.

Blood Game

Fuk u. Don’t nobody let their nuts hang like niggaz! Other races hate on us but yet they adopt our style our swag our gang kulture, talkin like us walkin like us using the N-word like us they imitate everything we do.If u hate Niggaz get the golds out ur mouth get the kornrows out ur head stop rollin 84’s like us stop using Ebonics aka our slang. Bak in the day nobody wanted to be a nigga but nowadays a nigga is tha thing to be. Let me remind everyone being blak is a kulture not a fashion! I’m not racist. I love tha Woodz the Mexicans and other races who identify wit blaks but the ones who imitate us but say they don’t like us fuk yall in yall ass. Blood Game 4 Life

micheal

CAN YOU WRITE IN PLAIN ENGLISH,.THKS

suirvale

its very culturaland uiniversal ,btu tooo much drugs invoolved,,

Just Just

EXCEPT THE ITALIANS THEY RAT EACH OTHER OUT ALL DAY LONG FRIEND FAMILY NO MATTER

Ya, ya, ya, but I bet you and people like yourself would never have the balls to drop that racist slur on anybody in real life. Stay classy.

iHateJaYz

and your just another penny pinching kike with no brains, nothing special about you

David Luciano

Pappy=Stand Up Guy,A BOSS!

micheal

when did a gangsta become a stand up guy?

David Luciano

Cause Pappy Would Mirk Them KKKrackers! Racist, White Faggots!

micheal

SEEMS THIS PAPA WAS A RIGHT CLOWN.

Just Just

I bet you would not call him a clown to his face you coward

suirvale

in europe its easy know an afircan criminal,same in asia,.
the black guys swagger is only a swagger and no substance,.

dopeboii831

Real nigga

Michael Falsia

Just goes to prove that a lack of money has nothing to do with those who choose to live like animals and predators? All of these criminals are the same? Whether its John Gotti or Howard Mason! Nothing heroic or glamorous about crime!

micheal

WE Got so much drug criminals killing each other m i wonder is it money or just plain low life,,,,,wonder is barnie maddox happy now,, aahaah

Derek Johnson

i am not give up my name.But the story on Pappy being a harding killer is not true not at all. And far as being a big time drug dealer that a jock I came up with him and did time with him . He did”nt even know the price of a bag of dope was in Brooklyn . His crew did not take any pay for a few weeks just to get him of jail on $150,000 Bail . kingpin ” I don”t think so. HE could “nt fight a lick. All way got his ass kick .Its a out right joke the things your write about him I can take you back all the way to the year 1968 because that far we go back Man you just do not know